Cargo
by flyersgirl12
Summary: A string of violent murders involving both foriegn nationals and citizens brings the BAU team to Philadelphia. Will the team unravel the mystery in time to rescue the killers next victim.  This story takes place in season 3 if Gideon never left.
1. Chapter 1

"Ah buenas tardes Senor Montegro. Thank you for taking the time to come and meet me." A short man in a black button down shirt and gold chain greeted a much taller figure, obscured by shadows.

"I don't like taking stupid chances Remirez. The new product better be good." The figure stepped out of the shadows. His face was young but his voice was laced with a malice far beyond his years.

The two men stood for a moment in silence. Their eyes locked in an unspoken battle of wills. Their surrounding was an abandoned barn; that let in little of the late after noon sunlight.

"It will be arriving at the usual time with the usual open bidding." Remirez blinked first. "That's not the only reason why I asked you here."

"Oh?" Montegro's voice was low and dangerous.

Remirez sighed as he considered his next words. "Senor Montegro, some of our scouts and a number of fellow bidders have expressed some concern over how you enjoy your acquisitions." He tried to sound as diplomatic as possible. Montegro frightened him which was unusual. Remirez was not one to be easily intimidated and he did his best not to let Montegro see his fear.

"What I do with my acquisitions is my business." Montegro snapped

"Yes of course however some are afraid you are putting us in danger. More importantly, word has reached the ear of Senor Salizar and he will not hesitate to terminate your participation should he find the situation to be beyond your control. The success of this business depends upon our level of discreteness. Not everyone enjoys the same activities as you do and they do not want to have their acquisitions repossessed because you were sloppy."

"Of course. I wouldn't want your bidders to lose faith in your organization or worse yet, force Salizar's hand." Montegro mocked. "None the less, I will see that there are no more mistakes."

"See that you do." Remirez gained some confidence. "And if you must continue your diversions with local authorities, be sure not to be caught. If we feel the federales are getting close, the scouts will have no choice but to tie up all lose ends, and this is Salizar's promise."

The veiled threat had no effect on Montegro. He simply looked up, taking in Remirez, "I always clean up after I am done playing with my toys."

This statement chilled Remirez but he refused to show it. "New shipment will be on the block tonight and I think there will be a few that may spark your interest."

……………………………………………..

"Good morning everyone." Hotch's tone was heavy as he entered the bull pen.

"What do we got?" Morgan knew something was up from his superior's voice. He leaned against a desk, arms folded.

"Conference room," was Hotch's only response.

………………………..

"Natalia Kambelova, age 27, Russian national, here illegally. She was found six months ago dismembered behind a bar in Center City Philadelphia" Hotch opened with the image of a brutally mutilated body on the main screen in the conference room.

"Alexandra Sarento, age 23, Italian national also here illegally. She was found two months ago in Philadelphia. Rosita Suarez, age 24, Mexican national, found one month ago. Minh Trang, age 22, Philadelphia resident, found three weeks ago. "Julia Aramingo also a Philadelphia native and 24 years old, found yesterday. The Philadelphia PD contacted us asking for our help in this case." Hotch presented the team with images of each victim.

"That's not all, It appears our unsub has left calling cards." Hotch presented photos of both Trang's and Aramingo's homes. In both there was the blood smeared word, "Cargo," scrolled across the wall.

"Cargo?" Morgan asked.

"He views his victims as cargo?" JJ asked more than stated.

"Possibly." Gideon answered deep in thought.

"How did the foreign nationals get into the US?" JJ asked.

"We don't know. Because they entered illegally, until the murders we had no idea who they were or that they were even here. Even after their bodies were found, it was difficult to id them. Philadelphia police were only able to identify the foreign nationals after their pictures were circulated online. To make things more complicated, the same message was found in each of the homes of the other women in their various countries." Hotch explained.

"How was he able to get these women through customs unnoticed?" JJ was thinking out loud.

"Notice the injuries. They're inconsistent." Reid cut in, examining the images of the dead girls. "They were surgically tortured, each in an individual way."

"You're right, and it looks like our killer is getting more confident with each kill." Morgan agreed

"What do we know about the unsub?" Gideon regarded the team.

"He shows a distinct preference for girls in their 20's with dark hair and the increasing sadistic nature of each death

"The tortures are different in each victim. The methods being implemented aren't ritualistic." Morgan observed.

"His actions are well thought out, excluding rage as a cause. The torture suggests that he has a sense of ownership over his victims." Gideon noted.

"But why the difference in methods?" Hotch was speaking more to himself than anyone else on the team.

"Maybe his methodology is dependant on the victim. The torture is the ritual but it changes with each new person." Reid offered

"Our unsub has access to funds and the travel. He most likely works as a professional." J.J. observed.

"What about the victims? What do they have in common?" Prentiss cut in.

"Nothing as far we can tell, except, they were all in their twenties and female. The unsub isn't discriminating between socio-economic classes, professions, or ethnicities." Hotch answered.

"Theres one more thing," Hotch motioned to the screen which was displaying the unsub's message on another wall. "Kathryn Finnigan went missing from Philadelphia two weeks ago. Her body has not surfaced."

"He's keeping more than one victim at a time. She could still be alive." Prentiss began to rise.

"If she is, there is no saying what kind of torture she is going through. Time is running out for her." Gideon stared at the bloody message.

"Wheels up in thirty." Hotch dismissed the team.


	2. Chapter 2

"I don't want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you're alive you've got to flap your arms and legs, you've got to jump around a lot , for life is the very opposite of death, and therefore you must at very least think noisy and colorfully, or you're not alive." Mel Brooks

The mood was tense on the short flight from D.C. to Philadelphia as it always was before the team tackled a new case. J.J. and Reid sat across from each other while Morgan sat across the aisle. Hotch was roaming up and down the aisle reading over the case file while Prentiss and Gideon kept to themselves.

The plane had been quiet, most of the team was lost in their own thoughts. "How is the unsub able to abduct his victims without being noticed?" Reid broke the silence.

"The Philadelphia P.D. believes the victims were taken from their homes most likely at night." Hotch didn't remove his eyes from the file.

"You suspect otherwise?" Gideon looked up.

"Not necessarily, I'm not sure though. The police are working from this assumption because of the message left in the homes but there was no other proof and the missing victim, Kathryn Finnigan's mother claims otherwise according to the report."

"All right, when we land, J.J. and Reid go to Finnigan's home and work on victimology, Prentiss and Morgan go and speak with Julia Aramingo's family. We need to find a connection between these girls. Hotch and I will go and look over the evidence the police have collected." Gideon advised

"Good afternoon, I'm Detective Karl Jamison and this is my partner Gina Adams." The detective greeted the BAU team as they left the plane.

"These are special agents, Morgan, Prentiss, Jereau, and Gideon; Dr. Reid and I'm S.A. Hotchner."

"Thanks for coming up. Sorry about the heat, July in Philadelphia can be brutal."

"Detective, we'd like to go over the evidence you've collected." Hotch interrupted.

"Of course. And thank you again, we haven't been able to make a dent in this case and the higher powers are getting worried."


	3. Chapter 3

"So glad you're awake. Now let's not have you passing out again." Montegro's imposing figure leaned over Kathryn. Her hands and feet were handcuffed to the arms and rungs of a slightly wet, wooden chair sitting in the middle of a darkened room. When she was still thinking clearly she was fairly certain she was being kept in a basement or abandoned building. That was when she was thinking clearly.

She shuttered internally as her thoughts came back to the present moment and she remembered the source of the blood that was now being absorbed by the wood under her.

"Now all you have to do," Montegro took a seat across from Kathryn removing her blindfold, "is give me what I want. You have been the only one to deny me. Honestly, I am growing tired of this game. I am going to give you one last chance." With that, Montegro removed a blow torch from a near-by tray of instruments.

Kathryn's eyes were cold and her body motionless. She didn't react in anticipation of what was to come. She stared into her assailant's eyes unable to even let out a cry.

Montegro lowered the torch and passed the flame over Kathryn's right arm. In one agonizingly slow movement the flame seared her skin which then began to blister. When he had finished with the right he moved to the left arm. Still, Kathryn remained silent and very still it was as if she was somewhere else. The pain was excruciating and Kathryn was screaming in her head but still nothing came out of her mouth.

It had been nearly three weeks since her abduction and she had lost two teeth, incurred four broken toes, received numerous injections some of which had caused violent seizures, had two deep incisions which had been stitched with fishing line, and lost two finger nails.

Despite all of this she remained silent. She couldn't figure out why she was not dead and sometimes prayed for death to come yet still she survived. Sometimes when she was alone she could hear screams coming from down the hall from the room he always took her to. He was playing a game with her. She knew it the first time he took her to that room. She had spent the first few days trying to figure him out, trying to understand what was happening. It was after the first week when she finally broke. At first her silence was an act of defiance but now it was her prison. The continuous torture had shattered her hope. When she first arrived she prayed for rescue and now she wished for death.

"Still nothing." Montegro almost sounded intrigued. "Why is it that you, a tiny insignificant little girl, think you can outlast me? I suppose I should thank you, you're making this quite enjoyable. I've never kept anyone this long. That will make your death all the sweeter." Montegro offered his approximation of a grin. Kathryn though it looked nothing more than a menacing stair.

"Don't worry, you'll scream and beg for your life soon enough, they all do in the end." He rose and moved behind her wrapping his hands in her hair. With one sudden jerk he pulled the chair back onto its two rear legs and began to pull. He dragged her this way for what felt like an eternity. He had made the mistake when he first acquired her of undoing her restraints. She nearly escaped that day. Because of that he now dragged her in this manner until he reached the room he kept her in. It consisted of an old metal door that let in little light. Not that it mattered because she would soon be blindfolded again. He released her arms from the chair and tethered them with a long chain hanging from the wall. He then undid her ankle cuffs, she slid to the cold cement floor nearly unconscious from the agony.

"Sleep well. I will be back with something I want you to see." With that the blind fold was secured around her head and the door slammed shut. That clanging sound sent both terror and relief through Kathryn's body. It was the sound of life being cut off, the sound of hopelessness, the sound of nightmares, but it was also the sound that ushered in a time of rest and a momentary reprieve from the torment she was suffering.

Morgan and Prentiss quickly made there way to the black sedan provided by the Philly P.D.

"Where we headed?" Morgan looked over at his partner as she thumbed through the case file.

"1515 Spruce Street." She related back as she continued to read the file.

The two agents carefully ascended the steep set of stairs leading up to the Aramingos' front door.

"Mrs. Aramingo, We're agents, Prentiss and Morgan. We're with the FBI. Would you mind if we came in?" Prentiss flashed her badge.

Mrs. Aramingo wore the expression of a bitter broken woman. She felt betrayed by the police for not finding her daughter in time and carried her own guilt for not keeping her daughter safe. "What do you want?" She spat.

"Mrs. Aramingo, we would like to ask you a few questions about your daughter." Prentiss began.

"What could you possible want to know! You people have already been through her entire life, there isn't anything I could possibly tell you that you haven't asked about already."

"We're very sorry for your loss but any thing you can tell us may help us find you're daughter's killer." Morgan was careful not to mention that another girl was missing. Aramingo was already extremely angry and the fact that they were looking for another girl and we're there when her daughter went missing would be enough for her to shut them out completely.

"I could possibly use your bathroom, we've been in transit all day." Prentiss waited for Mrs. Aramingo's ascent and directions to the bathroom before excusing her. Perhaps Morgan could get a little more information out of her while Prentiss had a quick look into Julia's room.

"Mrs. Aramingo, was Julia seeing anyone before she went missing, anyone you felt uncomfortable around?" Morgan began.

"She has been seeing the same boy since she was in tenth grade. David, is wonderful and would never harm her."

"What about trouble with anyone at her job?"

"No everyone loved her." Aramingo was still short with her answers but her tone had softened a bit.

"Was she involved in any clubs, a church, and group activities?"

"She was a volunteer English tutor." Aramingo nearly choked on these words.

"Do you remember where?"

"No, I'm sure in one of those immigrant parts of the city."

"You never asked where?"

"She lived her own life; I couldn't keep up with everywhere she went." Morgan noted a hint of disdain in the mother's voice.

"You didn't like the life choices she made."

"No. She could do so much better. She was a glorified errand girl at work and she spent her free time teaching those people our language so they can come in here and take over."

"Those people?" Morgan knew he had hit a sore spot and he wanted to see where he could take this. May be she would give up some more information.

"Yes Agent Morgan, those people. They're destroying this city and they'll take over this country if we don't stop them."

Morgan was caught off guard and was unsure how to respond so he decided to remain silent. That's the one thing about human behavior. If you give people a long enough pause they'll fill it, compelled to relieve that awkward silence.

All those years I supported her through college and she didn't do anything with it except help the enemies of our country get a foothold. Her and I never agreed on this so we didn't talk much about it." Something didn't quite seem right here, aside from Aramingo's blatant prejudice, but he couldn't figure out what. He was fairly sure she was lying about something. He could tell in the way she avoided eye contact when asked about Julia's job and volunteer work. Maybe it was just due to her negative emotions but her body language was definitely betraying something. It was up to Prentiss and him to figure out what.

Prentiss climbed the narrow stairs to the second flood of the old row home. The second floor had only two bedrooms so she managed to find Julia's with ease. The room was a neat affair, simple furniture a desk top computer and a small dresser. To be honest the room looked more like an office than a bedroom.

Prentiss looked around the desk area, careful not to disturb anything. A folder lying on top of some loose papers caught her attention. It was a file for a company called "The Star Foundation." Inside the folder were a welcome letter and a pamphlet introducing the group.

Prentiss had already spent too much time in Julia's room, she only skimmed the information but discovered that it was an English as a second language program.

"Thank you very much for your help, if you remember anything else please give us a call." Morgan handed Mrs. Aramingo a business card as both he and Prentiss left.

"Did you find anything?" Morgan asked when they climbed back into the car.

"Julia was involved with something called, "The Star Foundation," it looks like she was teaching ESL courses through them."

"Did you find an address?"

"There wasn't one listed."

Morgan pulled out his cell as the two drove off.

"High priestess of all that is known and unknown, speak." Garcia chirped as she answered the call.

"Hey sweetness can you find an address for me." Morgan smiled.

"Of course I can but since you asked that way I certainly will."

"I need the locations of ESL courses offered through the Star Foundation in Philadelphia."

"I'm showing only one location." Garcia's fingers flew across the key board. "It looks like they offer courses at, 442 North 10th Street. Right in the heart of China Town."

"Aw thanks baby girl you're the best."

"Anything for my bronze god." Garcia laughed to her self. Both she and Morgan loved their friendly flirting. Nothing serious ever came from it. Morgan had a way with people; he could get almost anyone to feel at ease around him fairly quickly and he knew exactly how to talk to Garcia. She had the type of personality that reveled in the attention he gave her and she really did enjoy his company. They both seemed to share a special connection.


	4. Chapter 4

The Finnigans lived in a two story row home in the city's Frankford neighborhood. The streets in this section of Philly were lined with these homes and judging from the flags on the front porches, the Finnigans lived on a particularly Irish street which coupled with the Vietnamese grocer on the corner gave Reid the distinct feeling he was looking through time, old immigrants mingling with new.

The façade of the home was mostly faded siding with small brick accents.

"Hello Mrs. Finnigan I'm Special Agent Jennifer Jereau and this is Dr. Reid. We're with the FBI, may we come in?" JJ and Reid both put their identification away as Mrs. Finnigan stepped aside to let them in.

Immediately Reid was surprised, the home appeared far bigger on the inside than it had from the street.

The two agents followed the woman into her kitchen where an older man and younger boy both sat at the table. "This is Jimmy my husband, my son Liam, and please call me Marty." Marty turned to her family. "These are agents Jereau and Reid."

"Can I get you some tea?" She asked as she moved to the sink to finish filling a kettle she had left on the counter.

"Did you know that most cultures have some form of tea in their diet. The Indians and Chinese are particularly renowned for their tea cultivating abilities. In fact, a good portion of our black tea comes from northern India." Reid sounded quite enthusiastic about tea.

"No thank you." J.J. smiled.

"Would you believe me if I told you I did know that?" Marty smiled.

"Agent Reid, you sound a lot like our Kat." Jimmy looked up from the paper in front of him. "She is full of random facts. When she was young she was always at the head of her classes. The teachers thought she was a genius."

"That why we are here." J.J. continued.

"You've found Kat?" Marty was torn between joy and the fear that they had only discovered her daughter's body.

"Not yet. The police have called us in to help find her. We're behavioral analysts. We are hoping that by understanding who your daughter is we can track down whoever abducted her." Reid explained.

"What do you need to know?" Jimmy inquired.

"Did she have anyone at work threaten her?" Reid took a seat at the table, across from Jimmy.

"She was a student at the university. She wanted to one day be an ambassador. In her free time she worked as a mentor. No one wanted to hurt our little girl." Jimmy's words sounded as though he was pleading with some unseen force to give his daughter back.

"Was she acting strange at all before she disappeared?" J.J enquired, thinking that this girl reminded her a lot of their newest team member. She and Prentiss would get along quite well.

"No everything was normal." Marty finished pouring a cup of tea.

"Would it be all right if we took a look in her room?" Reid knew this could be a touchy subject for some victims' families. Often they will want to leave the bedroom undisturbed until the missing loved one returned. The Finnigans had been cooperative thus far and he hoped they would continue to be.

"What for?" Marty was a little unsettled with the idea.

"It will help us build a stronger profile. Sometimes there are clues that might be missed because you're used to seeing them everyday." J.J. explained.

"If it's necessary." Marty and Jimmy both made their way to the hall. The stairs were a narrow and steep affair typical of older homes in the area. The group had to traverse them in single file.

"Her room's on the right." Marty pointed out.

"Thank you." J.J. and Reid both stepped in front of the parents, entering the room first.

The room was surprisingly big with large windows on two of the walls. In the far corner was a low bed with a pile of pillows and a thick red quilt and adjacent to the door was a desk and computer. The desk had a smattering of papers thrown casually across it. Most of which were either Kat's own papers or the one's she was marking as a teaching assistant at the university.

"Check this out." Reid picked up a small collection of pamphlets stacked precariously on the edge of the desk. "Columbia University, Georgetown, American."

"She was looking into post graduate programs." Jimmy spoke up with pride. Sometimes he wondered how someone like Kat landed in his family.

"Peace Corp, Critical Language Program, Summer Internship Program in Quantico." Reid leafed through the last of the pamphlets. "She certainly is ambitious."

"Reid look at this." J.J. called him over to the far corner of the room. There sat a small table with a number of ritual implements, a collection of statues, and a plaque hanging above it.

"What kind of writing is that?" She eyed the plaque closely.

"Namah Nilakantha Avalokiteshvara." Reid studied it closely. "It's Sanskrit. It reads, 'Homage to the Blue Neck Lord of the World Who Looks Down." He seemed fascinated.

"Reid you didn't tell me you can read Sanskrit." J.J. grinned almost mischievously at her partner. It was too quick for the Finnigans to catch but being an expert in body language, Reid caught it right away.

"Spent a summer studying ancient scriptural languages." He replied nonchalantly.

"We were never all that religious, you know, Christmas and Easter Catholics, but Kat is a devout Buddhist. Goes to temple every Sunday." J.J. was impressed by Jimmy Finnigan's absolute devotion to his daughter.

"You're daughter went missing on a Sunday?" J.J. needed to confirm this fact to try and establish a timetable for the abduction.

"Yes." Jimmy replied.

"Did she make it to the temple that Sunday?" Reid glanced up at the parents.

"I..I don't know." Marty looked and sounded as though she had never been asked that question. Reid and J.J. both suspected she hadn't as there was no details in the report they ha been provided with.

"We assumed she was taken from here because of the blood. We usually aren't home Sunday mornings. The three of us take an early breakfast. Kat is usually gone by the time we get home." Marty clarified.

"Do you know what temple she goes to?" J.J. asked softly

"I don't know, somewhere in Chinatown. She said it was nice because it was headed by a nun." Marty looked down at the shrine as if she could see her daughter there going about her daily ritual. Since Kat had gone missing, Marty had seen to it that the offerings of flowers and water that she had so often seen Kat leave out every day were still being left.

"Is this where the message was left?" Reid drew them out of their thoughts as he pointed to a faded spot on the far wall.

"Yes." Jimmy was not forthcoming with anymore information beyond that.

"The police saw to it that the wall was scrubbed. A nice detective came over and helped clean it." Marty explained.

"Do you know if they took any samples?" J.J. was suspicious after this revelation.

"I'm not sure." An expression of concern flashed across Marty's face.

"What was the detective's name?" Reid grew concerned as well. It was out of protocol to destroy evidence while the case was open. He only hoped that the police had ample samples.

"I think Rogen. But I can't really remember." Marty answered truthfully.

"Ah thank you for your time. We will let you know when we find out anything." Reid seemed eager to leave the Finnigans. They had a lot of work ahead of them and there wasn't much else they could learn there.

"Now what?" J.J. looked to Reid for guidance as they entered the car. She wasn't used to working in the field. Although she was qualified, her true calling was in subtle media manipulation. That's how she contributed to the arrests made by the BAU.

"We need to find out if she ever made it for Sunday services." Reid picked up his cell phone.

"Speak and be acknowledge by the queen of information." Garcia answered almost singing her greeting.

"Garcia, it's Reid. We need to the address of a Buddhist temple in Chinatown."

Garcia's typed quicker than what should be humanly possible. "Got it, the system is showing 10 temples in that part of the city and another 20 in other neighborhoods."

"Can you find me one in Chinatown that has a resident nun?" Reid was trying to think of ways to narrow down the field.

"Aha! There's one. It's at, that's odd…" Garcia stopped mid sentence.

"What is it?" Reid was hoping that some sort of pattern had jumped to Garcia's attention.

"This temple as on the corner of 10th and Cherry streets. It's less than a block away from where Prentiss and Morgan are headed."

"Thanks Garcia." Reid hung up quickly, not allowing Garcia to end the conversation with one of her witty quips.

"You have an address?" J.J looked at him expectantly.

"Yea and Morgan and Prentiss are in the neighborhood." Reid called Morgan, filling him so that he and J.J. could forgo the trip to Chinatown and meet Gideon and Hotch at the precinct. Reid wanted to get the facts straight with the evidence that was tampered with at Kat's home.


	5. Chapter 5

"I have something for you to see." Montegro threw a bucket of freezing water on Kat.

Her body immediately stiffened at the onslaught that had dragged her out of the closest thing to sleep she had experienced in longer than she could remember. Sleep deprivation, the constant beatings, the sadistic tortures, the psychological terror inflicted upon her, and now the hypothermia that could possibly set in were enough to drive her over the edge. She was standing over the precipice of an endlessly black chasm. If she fell in, she would lose herself forever. As tiny and quiet as it was, there was still some voice inside of her that refused to bow to this predator, refused to give in, and would fight till the end. It didn't matter if she couldn't over power him physically, she would not give him her soul.

"Come with me." He wrapped his hands in her hair and pulled across the floor, down that same familiar hallway.

Kat wondered what kind of horrific torture he had cooked up for her today. She stared at the ceiling as it passed along her field of vision. The pain was terrible but that could be ignored. What couldn't be was the sheer agony in anticipation of what was to come.

As they entered the room that Kat had grown so familiar with, she glanced around to spot any instruments that would indicate what was to come. The usual implements where there but something else caught her attention.

At first it didn't register in her head. It wasn't until a deep sound wafted through the air and met Kat's ears. It was a moan. There was someone else there.

"Please, no." The woman cried out. She was visibly trembling.

"Kathryn, I would like you to meet Shan Mei. Shan Mei, this is Kathryn." Montegro's ability to act as though this situation was a casual meeting was sickening. Most of it though was lost on Kat. Her eyes were defocused and she was trying to project her mind somewhere else, anywhere but here, the same as she had done so many times before.

"Shan Mei is here today to help us in our little predicament. You see, all you have to do is to scream and you can save her. Remain silent and she dies. It's your choice."

Kat's mind jumped abruptly back into reality and she shot him a look that any bystander would swear had the ability to physically pierce him like daggers.

"Ah there's that spirit. I knew it was still in you. Now just scream and our new friend can go back home to her family."

Kat did not believe for one second that the maniac had any intention of letting either of them go. What could she do though? Was she willing to sacrifice another being on a hunch?

"The clock is ticking Kathryn, make your decision." Montegro took a pair of pliers to Shan's index finger and in one quick motion removed her finger nail.

The scream that filled the air was deafening. Tears raced down her face as Shan wretched both out of pain and the sudden realization that she was not going to survive.

"Please scream!" Shan looked pleadingly up, her eyes finally meeting Kat's. It was in that moment that the two realized they knew each other.

Kat began to struggle against her restraints. Taking the cue Shan did the same thing; both fighting violently for their freedom and neither securing it.

"My my, do you two know each other?" A smug smile crossed his lips. "What fortune is this?" He thought to himself. "All right then, why don't we step this up? Kathryn, you scream now or Shan dies." Montegro reached for a scalpel. "It's quite simple. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for her?"

Kat stared on in horror. She wanted to scream more than anything. She was ready to die but she wasn't going to allow anyone to suffer for her. How could she live knowing that there was a chance she could have saved someone. How selfish it would be of her to remain silent. With every last ounce of energy she willed her breath up from her lungs, through her throat and past her vocal cords. She willed her mouth to open and produced the sound. To her horror, neither her mouth opened nor her voice made a sound. It was as if she were paralyzed.

"What new hell is this?" She cried in her head.

"Kathryn, do you know what Shan Mei means?" He was still smiling. "It means, 'Beautiful Mountain,' in Mandarin. Why don't we see if she is as beautiful on the inside as her name claims."

"No." She cried in her head. Kat was still silent to the world but her heart was breaking. Not only was she watching a friend die but she had the power to stop but her body wouldn't cooperate. How can she be this selfish? She thought. All of that spiritual training she had done. All of those years of meditation and cultivation and at this moment she could not over come her own fear to do a truly noble act. She was not worthy of living. At these thoughts, a new level of self hate and hopelessness had devoured her, only leaving in its wake a shell. Her mind spiraling deep into itself, leaving in its wake only the most basic of instincts, self preservation.

"Don't you dare scream." Shan ordered to Kat. "Stay quiet." She then looked Montegro in the eyes, a sad smile crossing her face, as if she pitied him. With that she closed her eyes and prepared to die. She would die with her dignity.

At that moment Montegro plunged his scalpel into her torso, dragging it down. It was deep enough to cut away the skin but not damaging the organs. Blood began to spill to the ground making a horrific sloshing sound.

Kat watched registering the event but, she wasn't fully there anymore.

"Kat," Shan Mei opened her eyes one last time. "This isn't your fault. Today I go to the pure land." She managed too take in one more deep breath and let it go. Her chest would not rise again.

Montegro had been systematically removing her organs, not even noticing her words. Shan did not scream in the end and for Montegro this was a waste of his time. His flat affect didn't afford him the ability of anger but he did want revenge for Shan's unwillingness to cooperate. The removal of her organs was his way of punishing her and a final degradation of her body.

After placing the body in a dark ally, behind a dumpster, he returned to Kat and beat her savagely. She flinched away from his attacks. Her mind was gone and her most basic instincts had taken full control.

"Did you find any thing that will shed some light on this case?" Gideon looked frustrated when he addressed J.J. and Reid as they entered the precinct.

"It seems both of our victims have ties to Chinatown. Aramingo was giving English lessons a block away from Kat Finnigan's temple. Morgan and Prentiss are on their way." Reid replied

"Good. Any lead will help. We have to end this now." Gideon was staring at the board of crime scene pictures. There was something about this case that had shaken him deeply. He couldn't help remembering the horrors that Frank had inflicted on the world, the savage murders and the attempts at destroying his life. Frank did come close to winning, too close. After he had brutally slaughtered the one person with whom Gideon found true happiness with and stole the diary of survivors which kept him motivated in his job, Jason Gideon was almost destroyed. If it were not for his family at the BAU, one of the best profilers in the history of the bureau would have lost to his greatest adversary, outside of himself.

The first few months had been very difficult of him. The team had helped with funeral arrangements and saw to it that he had everything he needed. Through their friendships they were able to bring him back from the brink. At first he wanted to die. After thinking things through however, he quickly realized this wasn't a solution. Part of him also couldn't bear the knowledge that he would cause so much pain to his team by doing so.

Realizing his death would be a completely selfish act, Gideon then questioned his ability as a profiler. He had lost his way. He no longer saw any point to what he was doing. He forgot about the lives he saved and could only see the faces of those who died. He thought he was left with only one option, leave. He had made up his mind and even prepared his resignation letter. Everything was in place. He would move up to his cabin then perhaps travel.

It was close to divine intervention the night Hotch had shown up at his apartment. Aaron was the eldest son of his team and trusted confidant. Having taken note of the boxes sitting in Gideon's living room he knew he had better work fast and come up with something good or the BAU would never bet the same, he would never be the same.

The two had spoken for over two hours that night. Hotch wasn't sure how, but he managed to convince his friend to stay. He was able to show him that the team needed him. Jason still had a lot to work through but at least for the short term he would stay.

All of those things that plagued Jason Gideon after Frank, still remained. They had managed to be refilled in his mind to be dealt with at a later time but there was something about this case. Maybe it was the gruesome nature of the crimes or the fact that there was one person who for now is presumed to be surviving in the unsub's hands, or some sort of unconscious identification between the new victim and his past, Gideon wasn't sure but he was driven. He would solve this case and put an end to the terror that this city was experiencing. It became his personal quest. He would not let another life be destroyed.

"Gideon?" Hotch had noticed the distant look in his eyes.

"Something is missing here. How is it that the unsub was able to abduct all of these women without being noticed? How did the foreign nationals get here?" The wheels in Gideon's head were still turn even when he was lost in a memory.

"Excuse me." Detective Jamison stuck his head in the door. "We have a problem."


End file.
